McCarthy turns page after Kingman defeat

Luke McCarthy is already looking ahead to next week after IRT New Zealand NZ Cup hero Kingman’s (Always B Miki) first-up harness racing defeat at Melton last night.

A heatwave and bushfires meant McCarthy only travelled Kingman down from NSW to Victoria by road on the morning of the race.

“He wasn’t himself tonight. He just felt flat and didn’t have any zip when I needed him to sprint,” he said.

“It was a big ask and Mick (Harvey, owner) and I did talk about scratching, but we just have to turn the page.

“We didn’t really have an option but to travel down in the morning. It was scorching the day before.”

Kingman will back-up against Leap To Fame and Swayzee in a stunning $50,000 Group 3 Shepparton Gold Cup (2690m) next Saturday night.

“We were going to bring him here and go back home, but I’m going to leave him down here now for the week in between races,” he said.

Kingman escaped a tricky draw to land in the one-one trail, but just battled into third spot behind remarkable veteran Bulletproof Boy and Petracca in last night’s $75,000 Group 2 Bendigo Cup.

The race was moved from Bendigo to Melton because of the bushfires and travel issues around the Bendigo area.

The 11-year-old Bulletproof Boy successfully defended his Bendigo Cup crown, courtesy of a masterful James Herbertson drive.

“The horse is a freak and so is the driver,” trainer Scotty Ewen said.

It was Bulletproof Boy’s 51st win from 223 starts and he’s banked $850,316.

Emerging star Petracca trailed the leader, got clear in plenty of time and ran a good second, while star NSW speedster Hi Manameisjeff led and tired late for fourth.

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Champion trotting mare Keayang Zahara (Volstead) cruised to her 21st win from just 22 starts in last night’s $100,000 Group 1 Maori Mile at Melton.

It was little more than trackwork for the five-year-old, who rolled to the front from gate three and really just dashed home a 26.9sec last quarter for a 1min55.7sec mile.

It was her 11th Group 1 win and set her up for a serious crack at the $500,000 bonus on offer in this Victorian Summer of Glory.

Any trotter who wins four of the six races in the series will bank the bonus, but they must include the $250,000 Great Southern Star on February 14.

Given the ease of last night’s win, Keayang Zahara will likely back-up in the second leg, the $30,000 Group 3 Shepparton Trotters’ Cup, next Saturday night.

If there is a danger to Keayang Zahara winning the bonus, it really only looks to be her own stablemate Jilliby Ballerini.

Connections kept the pair apart last night when Jilliby Ballerini brilliantly made light work of a 30m handicap to win the $30,000 Bendigo Trotters’ Cup.

It’s likely they will stay apart until the Great Southern Star.

Jilliby Ballerini has brilliantly won both starts back from a break after her NZ Cup Week raid.

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Former star Kiwi filly Captains Mistress headlined another big night for Jason Grimson at Menangle last night.

The four-year-old was having her first run for Grimson and toyed with her rivals to win a heat of the New Years Gift in second gear by 18.6m. She went 1min50sec flat.

Just 30 minutes later, Grimson’s other recent Kiwi addition, Tokyo Rose, made it two wins from as many starts for the stable.

The six-year-old went a 1min48.7sec mile winning by 21.6m at her first Menangle run and won easily again by 9.9m in a 1min49.4sec mile last night.

The upcoming mares’ triple crown in Victoria, headlined by the $150,000 Group 1 Queen of the Pacific on February 14, looks an obvious target.

It will be interesting if four-year-old Captains Mistress tackles the series, too.

But Grimson’s most stunning winner of the night was another former Kiwi, Rakero Rocket, who led throughout in a stunning 1min47.3sec mile.

Having just his second start for Grimson, the six-year-old worked to the front and just kept rolling.

The 1min47.3sec is rarefied air.

It would have won every Miracle Mile, except My Field Marshal’s Australasian record 1min46.9sec in 2018.

Grimson trained five of the seven Menangle winners last night, the other two were former Kiwi pacers Still Rollin in a 1min49.7sec mile and Demon Blue in 1min51.1sec.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing New Zealand